Method and system for temporarily storing polar loads and for integrating same in a transport process in particular in automotive construction

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a method and a system for substantially reducing the number of stackers and for optimizing the working area of the warehouse. The invention aims at enabling integration of the polar load to be transported in a particular transport process. Said aim is achieved through a method for storing and transferring polar loads. Therefor, the polar load is stored and transferred by means of a storage system, the orientation of the polar load when it is being stored is substantially identical to the orientation of the polar load when it is being transferred and the polar load is directly integrated in a transport process without changing orientation.

The subject matter of the present invention is a method and a system for temporarily storing polar loads such as car bodies, wherein an integration in a transport process is performed after the transfer of the polar loads.

During the manufacturing of polar goods, for instance automobiles, the manufacturing and the transport are performed on various transport devices such as conveyor belts, assembly lines, etc.

In the following, polar goods or loads will describe objects the outer contours of which substantially are not symmetrical, for instance car bodies. The specific orientation of the polar load during transport or during manufacturing is a substantial requirement since, in the scope of automation that can regularly be found, in particular in automotive construction, process steps such as paint job, welding of fenders, inserting of window panes, etc. are performed in a fully automated manner and a specific orientation of the polar load is necessary during these process steps.

In order to obtain a manufacturing process that is as continuous and stable as possible, it is common to divide the entire manufacturing process into individual manufacturing blocks, with the dividing being performed corresponding to predetermined assemblies and/or other material features of differentiation. To maintain the continuity of the manufacturing process it is therefore necessary to provide so-called temporary stores (sequence buffers) at regular intervals which enable to continue the manufacturing process even when manufacturing stops at a manufacturing block prior to this temporary store, for instance due to a fault or due to retro-fitting work that has become necessary. Conventionally, the temporary store is positioned adjacent to an appropriate transport device so as to enable quick storing and timely transfer and integration in the transport and possibly in the manufacturing process.

In known temporary stores, as is illustrated in FIG. 1, polar loads such as car bodies can only be stored transversely since the transport devices that are available are not adapted to transport and store polar loads of substantial weight, i.e. for instance heavier than 400 kg, in any specific orientation.

Due to the storing and transporting orientation specified by the transport systems, a temporary store as illustrated in accordance with FIG. 1 requires, in addition to a certain number of rack feeders as a transport device at least one region in each rack alley in which a change in orientation of the polar load can be performed. Such a change in orientation may, for instance, be realized by means of a rotation table that is arranged as a connecting element between the transfer station of the rack region and the integration place of the transport process. In the case of a multiplicity of rack alleys it may therefore be necessary to provide an equal number of rotation devices so as to achieve a smooth integration of the polar load in the transport process.

In order to achieve a change in orientation of the polar load to be transported, a rotation device may furthermore be provided on each load receiving device in the transport process, which allows the orientation of the polar load corresponding to the respective needs.

It has turned out to be of disadvantage that the providing of a multiplicity of rotation devices for changing the orientation of polar loads is, on the one hand, technically awesome and involves, on the other hand, a certain potential of failure, so that, on failure of these rotation devices, the corresponding sections of the temporary stores cannot be fed orderly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a system that enables both to substantially reduce the number of rack feeders and to optimize the working area of the temporary store, and to especially provide the possibility of integrating the polar load to be transported in any particular transport process.

This object is solved by the method in accordance with the invention pursuant to the features of claim 1, and by the system in accordance with the invention pursuant to the features of claim 3. The subclaims are advantageous further developments of the present invention.

With the method for storing and transferring polar loads in accordance with the invention, the polar load is stored and transferred by means of a storage system, the orientation of the polar load when it is being stored is substantially identical to the orientation of the polar load when it is being transferred, and the polar load is directly integrated in a transport process without changing orientation.

It is of advantage when the polar load is an automobile to be manufactured, preferably a car body.

Advantageously, a rotation of the polar load becomes unnecessary with the method according to the invention, so that a transport element that requires maintenance and is expensive can be saved. The elimination of the rotation is of further advantage since a time-consuming process step is cancelled and corresponding traversing time may thus be saved.

It is expedient when a storage system is used for the method according to the invention which enables the polar load to be transported on a load receiving means that is hanging on ropes. Expediently, the load receiving means that is fastened to ropes is hanging on a crab-like traversing unit which is shiftably mounted in the rack alleys.

With the system for temporarily storing polar loads and for integrating polar loads in a transport process in accordance with the invention, a storage system is provided which is designed so as to store the polar load in a specific orientation and to transfer it after a particular period of time, with the orientation of the polar load remaining substantially unchanged during the transfer and during the integration in the transport process. The system further provides a transport device that is suited to integrate the polar load, with, at least at the beginning of the integration of the polar load in the transport process, the orientation of the polar load vis-à-vis the orientation of the polar load during storing remains substantially unchanged.

Advantageously, the temporary store comprises a multiplicity of rack units, preferably high racks, that are separated from one another by equidistant alleys, and wherein crab-like traversing units are provided in the equidistant alleys underneath below which, hanging on ropes, load receiving means are arranged on which the polar loads are moved.

Advantageously, it is possible with the system according to the invention to perform an integration of the polar loads in various transport processes since the storage system is not arranged on the floor of the warehouse, so that the ground clearance below the storage system may be used for arranging the manufacturing and transport lines.

The method and the system according to the invention will be explained in detail by the example of a preferred embodiment variant by means of drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a prior art temporary store;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a system for temporarily storing polar loads in accordance with the invention, and a transport device;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a system according to the invention of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a car body on a load receiving means of the storage system according to the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art storage system with rack units S2 that are separated from one another by alleys S6 and in which the polar loads S5 are stored in appropriate orientation. By means of a rack feeder system that is not illustrated, the polar loads S5, here car bodies, are stored in the respective racks S2 and are transferred when required in order to integrate the polar load S5 in a transport device S4. Conventionally, the polar load S5 is transported through the alley S6 to a transfer area S7 and is there placed on a transport device S4 that is provided with a rotation means, where the so-called transfer selection is performed. After the polar load S5 has been transferred to a transport device S4 in the transfer area S7, the transport device S4 swivels back to the transport process and performs, where necessary, a rotation of the polar load S5, so that it is fully integrated in the transport process corresponding to a specific orientation.

With the system according to the invention pursuant to FIG. 2, a larger number of rack units 2 is arranged in the same area as in the prior art according to FIG. 1, and it is achieved by the possibility of longitudinal storing of the polar loads 5 that only two alleys 6 have to be provided and not, as with the prior art according to FIG. 1, four alleys S6 are needed. When storing the polar load 5, it is, for instance, taken on a transport device 4 to the area of action of a load receiving means 3 without a change in orientation, is received appropriately, and is stored in a rack unit 2 without a change in orientation.

As required, a polar load 5 is taken out of the rack unit 2 without a change in orientation and is conveyed to a transport device 4 on the load receiving means 3 and is integrated in the transport process there, with no change in orientation of the polar load 5 being performed.

As is illustrated in FIG. 3, the load receiving means 3 is arranged such that all rack units 2 of an alley 6 can be fed since the crab-like traversing unit of the load receiving means 3 is positioned in the top region of the rack unit 2.

In the schematic representation of FIG. 4, the polar load 5 is fixed on a device 11 that need not be designated in detail and that is rigidly connected to the load receiving means 3.

The load receiving means 3 is fixed to be hanging from a crab-like traversing unit by means of ropes 9. Expediently, devices are provided at the crab-like traversing unit that are responsible for the driving and the controlling of the load receiving means 3 in the alleys 6, for the anchoring of the load receiving means 3 in the respective rack units 2, and for the lowering and rising of the load receiving means 3.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of transport devices 4 are arranged side by side since there will always be ground clearance during the transport of the polar loads and since the polar loads are thus moved above existing devices of the manufacturing or transporting lines. 

1. A method for storing and transferring polar loads (5), wherein the storing and transferring of the polar load is performed by means of a storage system (2, 3, 10), and wherein the orientation of the polar load (5) when being stored is substantially identical to the orientation of the polar load (5) when being transferred, and wherein an integration of the polar load (5) in a transport process is performed directly without a change in orientation.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polar load (5) is an automobile to be manufactured, preferably a car body.
 3. A system for temporarily storing polar loads (5) and integrating polar loads (5) in a transport process, consisting of a storage system (2, 3, 10) that is designed so as to store the polar load (5) in a specific orientation and to transfer it after a particular period of time, wherein the orientation of the polar load (5) remains substantially unchanged during transfer and during integration in the transport process, and further consisting of a transport device (4) that is suited to integrate the polar load (5), wherein at least at the beginning of the integration of the polar load (5) in the transport process the orientation of the polar load (5) vis-à-vis the orientation of the polar load (5) during storing is substantially unchanged.
 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the storage system (2, 3, 10) comprises a multiplicity of high racks.
 5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the transport process is performed by a transport device (4), preferably a conveyor belt.
 6. The system according to any of claims 3 to 5, wherein no means for rotating the polar load (5) is provided. 